Process for the Production of an Electronic Card having an External Connector and Such an External Connector

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an external connector for the production of an electronic card comprising an insulating support that defines an outside face and an inside face opposite one another and a plurality of external metal contact pads. This external connector additionally comprises a plurality of metal projections located on the side of the inside face of the insulating support and respectively connected electrically to at least one subassembly of the plurality of external metal contact pads and/or to contact pads linked to an electronic unit, which is arranged on the inside face of the insulating support, wherein these metal projections are intended to be inserted into individual cavities of the body of the electronic card, and metal contact pads linked to an electronic unit inside the card body and/or an antenna incorporated in this card body are located at the base of these cavities. The invention also relates to a process for the production of an electronic card using the aforementioned external connector.

This is a National Phase Application in the United States ofInternational Patent Application PCT/EP 2013/060167 filed May 16, 2013,which claims priority on European Patent Application No. 12168338.7 ofMay 16, 2012

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of electronic cards, inparticular bank cards, having an electronic unit and/or an antennaincorporated in the body of this card and an external connector arrangedin a cavity in this card body, wherein this connector has a plurality ofexternal contact pads arranged on an outside face of an insulatingsupport forming this connector. The electronic unit and/or an antennais/are electrically connected to a plurality of internal metal contactpads of the card body, which are arranged under the external connectorand which are respectively electrically connected to at least onesubassembly of the plurality of external contact pads and/or to contactpads linked to a second electronic unit arranged on the inside face ofthe connector and located in said cavity by electrical junctions, eachcomprising a solder joint on the side of the corresponding internalmetal contact pad in order to assure a soldered contact to same.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

An electronic card, in which an antenna is incorporated, as well as aprocess for the production of such a card are known from the document DE197 32 645. In a particular embodiment of this process shown in part inFIGS. 3A-3C and 4A-4C, the antenna is formed by a plane coil with ametal wire of circular section. In general, the diameter of such a wireis very small (100 to 150 microns). In order to connect the two ends ofthe antenna to an electronic unit, it is firstly provided that two holesare made in the card body to a depth corresponding to a median plane ofthese two ends, and these two holes have a diameter that issubstantially equal to that of the antenna wire. The two holes are thenfilled with a conductive glue or a solder material. The manner in whichthe conductive glue or the solder material are applied into the twoholes of small diameter is not explained anywhere in this document DE197 32 645. This step of the process is not in fact obvious. How toinsert the glue or the solder material into such small holes in anindustrial production? Firstly, there is a question of the precisepositioning of a nozzle or needle serving to apply the glue or soldermaterial. Then, how to allow the air that is initially present in theholes to escape during the insertion of the glue or the solder material?The answer to this question is important, since an electrical connectionmust be assured via these holes. A person skilled in the art will notfind an answer in the document in question and in fact the answer is notobvious, since air is generally trapped by the glue or the soldermaterial inserted through the aperture. A kind of plug is thus formedthat traps the air at the bottom of each hole and the rest of thematerial applied then spreads over the plane surface on the periphery ofthe holes. It is clear that such a situation is particularlydisadvantageous when the holes are close because of the increased riskof short-circuiting. Hence, a person skilled in the art will considerthe configuration of an electronic card according to FIGS. 3A-3C and4A-4C of the document DE 197 32 645 very difficult, or indeedpractically impossible, to implement.

An electronic card is known from document WO 97/34247, wherein thesolder material provided between the respective contact pads to form theelectrical connections is inserted into an adhesive film. The soldermaterial is incorporated in particular into apertures formed in thisadhesive film (see FIGS. 8 to 10), which is then applied to a shoulderarranged in the cavity provided for an electronic module in such amanner that the apertures filled with solder materials are aligned oninternal contact pads that are visible on the surface of the shoulder.The electronic module is arranged such that the solder material alsofaces contact pads arranged on the inside face of an insulating supportof this module. Finally, the glue is activated and the solder materialis melted by a supply of heat through the insulating support. It will benoted that the application of solder material in the apertures of anadhesive film before this is assembled on the electronic module or cardbody poses problems of production, since it is not obvious how to holdthe solder material in the apertures of the adhesive film until theelectronic module is assembled with the card body. Thus, in a variant itis provided to introduce conductive particles into an adhesive film intothe zones provided for the solder joints.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to remedy the disadvantages of theaforementioned prior art and to firstly propose a process for theproduction of electronic cards, which each have an external connectorwith first contact pads securely soldered to second contact pads of anelectronic module incorporated in the card body. The particular aim ofthe invention is to assure the reliability of the electrical connectionsbetween the first and second contact pads, in particular when they arerelatively high in number, and especially more than four, and to a largeextent dissociate the thickness of the insulating support of theexternal connector and the positioning of said contact pads in the cardbody and therefore, where necessary, from the internal support on whichthey are arranged.

The aim of the present invention is also to provide an externalconnector suitable for the production process of the invention.

On this basis, the present invention relates to a process for theproduction of an electronic card formed by:

-   -   an external connector comprising an insulating support that        defines an outside face and an inside face opposite one another        and a plurality of external metal contact pads, which are        arranged on the outside face of this insulating support;    -   a card body having a cavity for the external connector;    -   an electronic unit and/or an antenna incorporated in the card        body and electrically connected to or having a plurality of        internal metal pads arranged under the cavity.

This production process comprises a step of machining individualcavities in the card body until the internal metal pads are reached oruntil the metal parts arranged on these internal metal pads and inelectrical contact therewith are reached, wherein these metal parts orthe internal metal pads can be partially machined, the individualcavities having a cross-section in which at least one dimension isgreater than 0.5 mm (500 μm). The production process also comprises thefollowing steps:

-   -   forming the external connector with a plurality of metal        projections located on the side of the inside face of the        insulating support and respectively connected electrically to at        least one subassembly of the plurality of external metal contact        pads and/or to contact pads linked to a second electronic unit,        which is arranged on the inside face of the insulating support        and intended to be located in the cavity of the card body,        wherein these metal projections are arranged in order to        respectively face the individual cavities during the placement        of the external connector in the cavity and configured to be        capable of being inserted into these individual cavities;    -   subsequent to forming the external connector and machining        individual cavities in the card body, placing this external        connector in the cavity of the card body, wherein the metal        projections are then inserted into the respective individual        cavities in order to fill these at least partially, and the        initial volume of each projection is provided such that, once        the connector is in place in its cavity, the volume of this        projection is substantially equal to or smaller than the volume        of the corresponding individual cavity;    -   supplying energy at least partially to the metal projections to        perform soldering at least on the side of the internal metal        pads and form soldered contacts between these and the external        connector, wherein electrical junctions are thus obtained        between the internal metal pads and the at least one subassembly        of the plurality of external metal contact pads and/or the        contact pads linked to the second electronic unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the production process of theinvention the insulating support has a plurality of apertures betweenits outside face and its inside face, wherein the apertures of thisplurality of apertures are respectively closed by the external pads ofthe at least one subassembly of the plurality of external metal contactpads on the side of the outside face of the insulating support. Theapertures are at least partially filled by respective metal parts,which, with the respective metal projections that surmount them orextend them and after the supply of energy that is supplied to therespective metal projections and also to the metal parts, form metalconnecting bridges between the rear surfaces of the respective externalpads and the corresponding internal pads, wherein these metal connectingbridges each comprise a solder joint on the side of the rear surface ofthe corresponding external pad that assures a soldered contact to thelatter.

According to a variant of the preferred embodiment the metal connectingbridges are each formed by a solder material that is melted by thesupply of heat in order to form the same single solder joint between aninternal pad and the rear surface of the corresponding external pad.

The invention also relates in particular to an external connector forthe manufacture of an electronic card using the aforementioned processcomprising an insulating support that defines an outside face and aninside face opposite one another and a plurality of external metalcontact pads, which are arranged on the outside face of this insulatingsupport. This external connector also comprises a plurality of metalprojections located on the side of the inside face of the insulatingsupport and respectively connected electrically to at least onesubassembly of the plurality of external metal contact pads and/or tocontact pads linked to an electronic unit, which is arranged on theinside face of the insulating support, wherein these metal projectionsare intended to be inserted into individual cavities of the body of theelectronic card, and metal contact pads linked to an electronic unitinside the card body and/or an antenna incorporated in this card bodyare located at the bottom of said cavities.

Other particular features of the invention will be explained below inthe detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described below on the basis of attached drawingsgiven as non-restrictive examples, wherein:

FIGS. 1 to 3 show three successive steps of an exemplary embodiment ofthe production process according to the invention of an electronic cardwith an external connector;

FIG. 4 is a view in partial section of a first embodiment of anelectronic card with an external connector according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of an external connectoraccording to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the external connector of FIG. 5 andpartially showing the card body in the region of the cavity provided forthe connector before their assembly;

FIG. 7 is a view in partial section of a second preferred embodiment ofan electronic card with an external connector according to theinvention;

FIG. 8 is a view in partial section of a variant of the connector shownin FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 schematically shows a method of production of a plurality ofexternal connectors according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The production process according to the invention for an electronic cardand the resulting card according to a first embodiment will be describedbelow with the assistance of FIGS. 1 to 4.

The produced electronic card comprises:

-   -   an external connector 2 comprising an insulating support 4 and a        plurality of external metal contact pads 10 a, 10 b, 10 c, which        are arranged on the outside face 6 of this insulating support;    -   a card body 22 having a cavity 26 for the external connector 2;    -   an electronic unit and/or an antenna (not shown in the figures)        that is/are incorporated in the card body 22 and electrically        connected to a plurality of internal metal contact pads 34 a, 34        c located in the card body under the cavity 26, i.e. under the        general surface defining the base of this cavity, which is        formed by the recess 28 and the horizontal surface 30        surrounding this recess.

The production process generally comprises the following steps:

-   -   machining individual cavities 38 a and 38 c in the card body 22        at the base of the cavity 26 facing the internal pads 34 a, 34 c        of the plurality of internal metal contact pads to a given depth        or until these internal pads are reached or until metal parts 36        a, 36 c arranged on these internal pads and in electrical        contact therewith are truncated and thus define contact surfaces        at the base of the individual cavities;    -   forming the external connector 2 with a plurality of metal        projections 18 a, 18 c located on the side of the inside face 8        of the insulating support 4 and respectively connected        electrically to at least one subassembly of the plurality of        external metal contact pads and/or to contact pads linked to a        second electronic unit 14, which is arranged on the inside face        of the insulating support and intended to be located in the        cavity 26, wherein these metal projections 18 a, 18 c are        arranged in order to respectively face the individual cavities        38 a, 38 c during the placement of the external connector in the        cavity (situation shown in FIG. 1);    -   subsequent to said formation of the external connector and the        machining of the individual cavities in the card body, placing        this external connector in the cavity 26 of the card body,        wherein the metal projections are then inserted into the        respective individual cavities (situation shown in FIG. 2);    -   supplying energy at least partially to the metal projections 18        a, 18 c (FIG. 3) to perform soldering at least on the side of        the internal metal pads 34 a, 34 c to form soldered contacts        thereto and form electrical junctions between the internal pads        and said at least one subassembly of the plurality of external        metal contact pads and/or said contact pads linked to the second        electronic unit 14.

It will be observed that the electrical connections between the metalprojections and at least one subassembly of the plurality of externalmetal contact pads and/or the contact pads linked to the secondelectronic unit 14 are not shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The electricalconnections between the projections and the contacts of the electronicunit can be achieved in the classic manner by conductive tracksdeposited on the inside face 8 of the insulating support 4. The externalpads are electrically connected to projections and/or contacts of theelectronic unit 14 by typical vias, by tracks that descend the side wallof the insulating support 4 or by any other means known to the personskilled in the art. The electronic unit 14 is conventionally protectedby a solidified resin 16 covering it.

In a preferred variant the metal projections 18 a, 18 c are formed by asolder material preferably deposited in paste form. In another variantwhere these projections are formed by pellets of rigid metal (copper,for example), a solder joint is formed between these pellets and theinternal pads 34 a, 34 c as a result of the presence of the metal parts36 a, 36 c formed by a solder material, e.g. tin. Other silver- orgold-based solder materials can be provided in particular.

The production process is explained here on the basis of the productionof a first embodiment of an electronic card 44 according to theinvention, more specifically with a first embodiment of the externalconnector. According to this first embodiment a plurality ofintermediate contact pads 12 a, 12 c are arranged on the inside face 8of the external connector 2 and electrically connected to said at leastone subassembly of the plurality of external metal contact pads and/orto the contact pads linked to the electronic unit 14. These intermediatecontact pads are respectively located to face the inside faces 34 a, 34c and the metal material forming the projections is a solder material,which subsequently to the aforementioned supply of energy, forms asolder joint 46 a, 46 c between each of said internal pads and acorresponding intermediate contact pad of the intermediate contact pads12 a, 12 c, as shown in FIG. 4.

In a first variant the solder material forming said projections 18 a, 18c is applied in paste form and is then hardened before the externalconnector is placed in the cavity 26. In another variant the soldermaterial is applied in a molten metal state (liquid state) by means of aheat nozzle. In the latter case a massive solid metal projection isobtained after hardening of the molten metal. In the two variantsmentioned a shaping of the projections can be provided by means of ashaping tool applied to the projections and by exerting a shapingpressure on these.

The initial dimensions provided for the projections are preferably suchthat, subsequent to the placement of the external connector in thecavity, these projections fill the respective individual cavities forthe most part, but not completely. This ensures that no solder materialcan exit from the individual cavities and extend over the surface 30 ofthe base of the cavity 26, which could otherwise cause short-circuiting.In FIGS. 2 and 3 the solder material forming the projections fills thecavities 38 a, 38 c completely. This corresponds to another variantwhere the apportioning of material during the formation of theprojections is precisely adjusted. It will be noted that this situationcan also result in projections that initially have a thickness that isslightly greater than the depth of the individual cavities. Firstly, thesolder material in the form of a dried paste can be crushed during theplacement of the external connector in the cavity 26 allowing the soldermaterial to be applied more densely. Secondly, the dimensions providedfor the projections in a general plane parallel to the support 4 aresmaller than those of the individual cavities 38 a, 38 c (in the case ofcylindrical cavities, the diameter thereof is larger than the diameterof the corresponding projections).

By virtue of the features of the invention, therefore, it is possible tohave a relatively large number of internal contact pads connected to asmany contact pads of the external connector and to arrange theindividual cavities according to the invention close to one anotherwithout the risk of short circuits. There is then an independencebetween the thickness of the insulating support and hence thelevel/depth of the surface 30 that defines the base of the cavity 26 andthe level where the internal contact pads 34 a, 34 c are arranged in thethickness of the body of the card 22. Finally, the invention allows arelatively significant amount of solder material to be applied perprojection to form a solder joint and thus obtain soldered electricaljunctions between the internal pads and the corresponding contact padsof the external connector (intermediate pads 12 a, 12 c in the case ofthe first embodiment of a card of FIG. 4).

According to a particular variant shown in the figures, it is providedto place an adhesive film 20 on the inside face 8 of said insulatingsupport 4. This adhesive film serves to glue the external connector tothe base (surface 30) of the cavity 26 and it has apertures, from whichthe metal projections 18 a, 18 c exit. A press 40, by means of whichheat can be applied to melt or activate the adhesive film and thus allowthe external connector to be glued to the card body, is used to securethe external connector in its cavity. It will be noted that the assemblyusing glue is an additional means of fastening to the solderedelectrical junctions described above.

According to a preferred variant of the production process of theinvention the supply of energy provided to form the solder joints isachieved in a substantially localised manner in the respective regionsof the metal projections through the plurality of external metal contactpads. In particular, thermodes 42 and 43 shown schematically in FIG. 3(heating elements can be applied to a surface) are used. It will benoted that the thermodes can be incorporated in the press 40 in order toconduct the gluing and soldering during the same production step.

According to a particular variant of the production process of theinvention the solder material forming the metal projections is depositedon the side of the inside face of said insulating support in a thickfilm screen-printing technique.

According to another particular variant of the production process of theinvention the adhesive film 20 is arranged on a non-stick sheet (notshown in the figures), which is located on the other side of said insideface 8 after deposition of the adhesive film on the latter. Thisadhesive film and the non-stick sheet have apertures traversing the twoand filled with solder material, and the non-stick sheet is then removedto obtain the metal projections, which exit from the respectiveapertures of the adhesive film. The solder material can be applied witha certain surplus, which is removed by a blade that scrapes over the topof the non-stick sheet. The through apertures are thus completely filledwith solder material and this solder material has plane surfacessubstantially flush with the outside surface of the non-stick sheet.

According to the invention the individual cavities have a cross-section(in the plane of the card body) having at least one dimension largerthan 0.5 mm (500 μm). In particular, the cross-section is circular.

According to the variant shown in FIG. 4 the individual cavities 38 a,38 c are substantially filled with the metal material that firstly formsthe metal projections, then after the provided soldering forms theconnecting bridges 46 a, 46 c between the internal pads 34 a, 34 c andthe intermediate pads 12 a, 12 c.

According to a preferred variant of the production process of theinvention and of the electronic card according to the invention, theinternal pads 34 a, 34 c are arranged on an internal support 32 embeddedin the plastic material 24 of the card body, and this internal supportcomprises or is linked to at least one element for positioning thisinternal support in the thickness of the card body so that theseinternal pads are substantially located at a determined level in thiscard body. This is evident in particular in the case of the productionof the card body at least in part with a resin, which is in a liquid orpaste-like (soft) state to encase the various electronic elements andunits and form this card body. The positioning element or elementsis/are not shown in the figures. This/these may be one or morecrosspieces, projections or contact points to a press used for theproduction of the card body or to solid layers of this card body.It/they can be provided on one or more of the elements inserted, inparticular on the internal support 32. In the case where at least onesolid layer extends in the region provided for the cavity 26, it/theycan initially be arranged on this at least one solid layer. Thispreferred variant is advantageous in an industrial production operation,in which the metal projections are calibrated and thus have uniformdimensions. By virtue of this variant it is possible for a given seriesof electronic cards to make individual cavities all with the samedetermined depth, since it can be ensured that the mounds of soldermaterial on the internal contact pads are then all reached and at leastpartially truncated to produce the envisaged solder joint and form theenvisaged electrical junctions. It is, of course, possible to havemachining installations that are capable of detecting the metal moundsduring the machining of the individual cavities or, in the absencethereof, the internal pads themselves. However, if the height positionof these internal pads varies a fair amount in the thickness of the cardbody more than in acceptable tolerances, then there is the risk that thevolume of the individual cavities will no longer correspond to that ofthe metal projections. If the volume of the latter is smaller than thatof the machined cavities, it will certainly be possible to form thecards correctly, since the solder material melted by the supply ofenergy will tend to join the metal pads facing one another. Conversely,if the volume of the projections arranged on the external connectors islarger than the volume of the individual cavities, at least for some ofthe produced cards, then there is a substantial risk of the latter beingsubject to short-circuits due to a surplus of solder material extendingoutside the individual cavities during the placement of the externalconnector in its cavity, which is what the invention seeks to avoid.

According to the invention the electronic cards generally obtained arecharacterised in that the cavity provided for the external connector hasa plurality of individual cavities separated by an insulating materialforming the card body, and visible at the base of said cavities are theinternal pads of a plurality of metal contact pads located in the cardbody or metal parts arranged on these internal pads and in electricalcontact therewith, and in that the individual cavities are at leastpartially filled with a metal material that forms the electricaljunctions between the internal pads and corresponding pads of theexternal connector.

A second preferred embodiment of the invention and its productionprocess will be described below with the assistance of FIGS. 5 to 8.Some of the elements that have already been described and some of thesteps of the production process already explained above will not beexplained again in detail below. This second embodiment differs from thefirst substantially in the arrangement of the external connector,wherein the process of assembly of this external connector on acorresponding card body, in particular the formation of the electricaljunctions between them, is similar to that already described.

The external connector 50 has a plurality of external contact pads 10 ato 10 f. It comprises an insulating support 4 a, which has a pluralityof apertures 52 a, 52 b, 52 c (and a fourth that is not visible in thesectional view of FIG. 6) between its outside face 6 and its inside face8. The apertures of this plurality of apertures are respectively closedby the external pads 10 a, 10 b, 10 c and 10 d forming a subassembly ofthe plurality of external metal contact pads on the side of the outsideface of the insulating support. In general, these apertures are at leastpartially filled with the respective metal parts 54 a, 54 b, 54 c,which, with said respective projections 18 a, 18 b, 18 c that surmountthem or extend them and before the assembly on the card body of theexternal connector, form metal studs 56 a, 56 b, 56 c, which rise fromthe rear surfaces of said subassembly of external pads traversing theinsulating support 4 a (FIG. 6). After placement of the externalconnector in its cavity 26 a of the card body 22 a, during which theprojections 18 a, 18 b, 18 c penetrate into the respective individualcavities 38 a, 38 b, 38 c, and after the supply of energy that issupplied to these metal studs and to the truncated metal mounds 36 a, 36b, 36 c, metal connecting bridges 62 a, 62 b, 62 c are formed betweenthe rear surfaces of said external pads and the corresponding internalpads to produce solder joints on the internal pads 34 a, 34 b, 34 c,wherein these metal connecting bridges each comprise a solder joint onthe side of the rear surface of the corresponding external pad thatassures a soldered contact to the latter. Thus, an electronic card 60according to the invention such as that shown in partial section in FIG.7 is obtained. These metal connecting bridges completely define theelectrical junctions between the internal pads in question and thecorresponding external pads.

It will be observed, in a variant shown in the figures, that theapertures 52 a, 52 b, 52 c have a metal layer forming an adhesiveinterface on their side wall and this layer can also extend along theperiphery of the apertures on the inside face of the insulating supportto form metal rings. During the supply of energy to conduct thesoldering in particular, the solder material bonds to this metal layer,as shown in FIG. 7. In the variant shown in this figure the apertures inthe insulating support 4 a are substantially filled by the respectivemetal connecting bridges.

In a preferred variant the metal studs and the metal connecting bridgesobtained subsequently by the production process according to theinvention are each formed by a solder material so that the solder jointon the side of the corresponding internal pad and the solder joint onthe side of the rear surface of the corresponding external pad are bothformed by the same single solder joint that extends between thiscorresponding internal pad and this rear surface of the correspondingexternal pad.

According to a particular variant the apertures have a cross-section (inthe general plane of the insulating support) that has at least onedimension larger than 0.2 mm (200 μm). In particular, the cross-sectionis circular. According to a preferred variant the diameter of theapertures is larger than 0.5 mm (500 μm).

According to a particular variant of the production process of theinvention the solder material forming the metal projections is depositedon the side of the inside face of the insulating support by a nozzlethat receives the solder material from a metering device that allows thequantity of solder material applied to each individual cavity at thebase of the cavity of the card body to be controlled precisely. Thisvariant is particularly well suited to the formation of the metal studsin the production of the second embodiment of an electronic cardaccording to the invention, but it can also be used for the productionof the first embodiment described above. The deposited solder materialcan, for example, be in paste form, in the form of molten metal thathardens following the deposition or by the provision of preformedelements. A step of shaping the projections can be provided in order toobtain a given shape and substantially identical dimensions for all theprojections. It will be noted that the variants described above for theformation of the metal projections in the framework of the firstembodiment can also be used to form the metal studs of the secondembodiment. In the case where a screen-printing technique is used, carewill be taken that the metal studs have a smaller diameter than that ofthe apertures 52 a, 52 b, 52 c so that they do not have a projectingcollar on their free end.

An external connector 50 a, which is a variant of the connector 50 ofFIG. 6, is shown in partial section in FIG. 8. This connector differs inthat the metal studs 56 a, 56 b are formed by metal parts 54 a, 54 bformed from solder material that has already melted once and hardened toform a solid metal without air and/or liquid (solvent). Arranged onthese metal parts are the metal projections 18 a, 18 b that are formedby a solder material in paste form that has, however, been dried afterits deposition on the side of the inside face 8 of the insulatingsupport 4 a. These projections are deposited by a nozzle and aresubstantially rounded in shape. Since the individual cavities of thecard body are cylindrical, it is provided that the projectionsinitially, before the assembly, have a height greater than the depth ofthe individual cavities. During the insertion of the projections intothe respective cavities the projections are crushed and deformed inorder to at least partially fill the respective cavities. After thesupply of energy and soldering of the electrical junctions an electroniccard 60 such as that shown in FIG. 7 is obtained. It will be noted thatthe solder materials of the metal parts and the projections can bedifferent or of the same metal material/alloy.

FIG. 9 shows the production of a plurality of external connectors in astrip. The insulating supports of the plurality of connectors areinitially formed by a strip 70, which comprises metal contact pads (notshown) on one face 71 and on the other side has intermediate contactpads, each electrically connected to one of the external metal contactpads, and also apertures, which traverse the insulating support as faras the respective rear surfaces of at least one subassembly of saidmetal contact pads. The strip is firstly wound onto a first coil 72. Itis then unwound progressively and after having passed a first roll 74,it runs under a solder material distributor 76 comprising a nozzle or aneedle 78, by means of which drops of solder material are deposited ontoeach of said intermediate contact pads or into each of said apertures.This operation is conducted with precision, the distributor beingprovided to be mobile in at least one transverse direction to therunning direction of the strip 70 in a plane parallel to the latter.This distributor is arranged to deposit precise metered quantities ofsolder material. According to the invention the solder material definesa plurality of metal projections 80A. In the present case according to avariant of the invention the solder material is deposited in paste form.

The strip 70 with the projections 80A formed from a solder materialpaste then passes into an oven 82, which serves to dry and harden thesolder material. Thus, projections 80B formed from hardened soldermaterial exit from the oven. The oven is, for example, a hot air or uvoven. In a particular variant the supply of heat to the projections isperformed in a localised manner by optical diodes. Once the strip haspassed through the oven, it is unwound onto a second coil 86 afterhaving passed over a second roll 84. As a result of this, a plurality ofexternal connectors according to the invention can be easily storedbefore they are used in the production of a plurality of electroniccards, during which the strip 70 with the metal projections 80B isprogressively unwound from the storage coil 86 and the externalconnectors are then cut off from the strip to form individual connectorsthat are then respectively placed into the cavities of the plurality ofcards.

It will be noted that instead of forming the projections using thesolder material distributor, a variant provides that the projections areformed by preformed elements, which are applied and positioned on theplurality of connectors on a strip by an automatic installation.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A Process for the production of an electronic cardformed by: an external connector comprising an insulating support thatdefines an outside face and an inside face opposite one another and aplurality of external metal contact pads, which are arranged on theoutside face of this insulating support; a card body having a cavity forthe external connector; an electronic unit and/or an antennaincorporated in the card body and electrically connected to or having aplurality of internal metal pads arranged under the cavity; wherein thisprocess comprises a step of machining individual cavities in the cardbody until the internal metal pads are reached or until metal partsarranged on these internal metal pads and in electrical contacttherewith are reached, and these metal parts or the internal metal padscan be partially machined; wherein the individual cavities have across-section in which at least one dimension is greater than 0.5 mm;and wherein this production process has the following steps: forming theexternal connector with a plurality of metal projections located on theside of the inside face of the insulating support and respectivelyconnected electrically to at least one subassembly of the plurality ofexternal metal contact pads and/or to contact pads linked to a secondelectronic unit, which is arranged on the inside face of the insulatingsupport and intended to be located in the cavity, wherein these metalprojections are arranged in order to respectively face the individualcavities during the placement of the external connector in the cavityand configured to be capable of being inserted into these individualcavities in order to fill them at least for the most part; subsequent tothe forming of the external connector and the machining of individualcavities in the card body, placing this external connector in the cavityof the card body, with the metal projections inserted into therespective individual cavities, and the initial volume of eachprojection is provided such that, once the connector is in place in itscavity, the volume of this projection is substantially equal to orsmaller than the volume of the corresponding individual cavity;supplying energy at least partially to the metal projections to performsoldering at least on the side of the internal metal pads and formsoldered contacts between these and the external connector, whereinelectrical junctions are thus obtained between the internal metal padsand the at least one subassembly of the plurality of external metalcontact pads and/or the contact pads linked to the second electronicunit.
 22. The production process according to claim 21, wherein theindividual cavities are circular and have a diameter larger than 0.5 mm.23. The production process according to claim 21, wherein a plurality ofintermediate contact pads are arranged on the inside face of theexternal connector and electrically connected to the at least onesubassembly of the plurality of external contact pads and/or to thecontact pads linked to the second electronic unit, wherein theseintermediate contact pads are respectively located under the metalprojections, and in that these metal projections are formed by a soldermaterial, which subsequent to the supply of energy forms a solder jointbetween each of the internal pads and a corresponding intermediatecontact pad of the intermediate contact pads.
 24. The production processaccording to claim 21, wherein the insulating support has a plurality ofapertures between its outside face and its inside face, wherein theapertures of this plurality of apertures are respectively closed by theexternal pads of the at least one subassembly of the plurality ofexternal metal contact pads on the side of the outside face of theinsulating support, wherein the apertures are at least partially filledby respective metal parts, and wherein with the respective metalprojections that surmount them or extend them and after the supply ofenergy that is supplied to the respective metal projections and also tothe metal parts, these metal parts form metal connecting bridges betweenthe rear surfaces of the respective external pads and the correspondinginternal pads, wherein these metal connecting bridges each comprise asolder joint on the side of the rear surface of the correspondingexternal pad that assures a soldered contact to the latter.
 25. Theproduction process according to claim 24, wherein the apertures arecircular and have a diameter larger than 0.5 mm.
 26. The productionprocess according to claim 25, wherein each of the metal connectingbridges is formed substantially by a solder material that is melted bythe supply of energy in order to form the same single solder jointbetween an internal pad and the rear surface of the correspondingexternal pad.
 27. The production process according to claim 23, whereinthe solder material forming the metal projections is deposited on theside of the rear face of the insulating support using a thick filmscreen-printing process.
 28. The production process according to claim24, wherein the solder material forming the metal projections isdeposited on the side of the rear face of the insulating support by anozzle or needle that receives the solder material from a meteringdevice allowing the quantity of solder material to be controlledprecisely.
 29. The production process according to claim 26, wherein anadhesive film is deposited on the inside face of the insulating support,wherein this adhesive film is provided to glue the external connector tothe base of the cavity after being applied to the latter, and thisadhesive film is arranged on a non-stick sheet, which is located on theother side of the inside face after deposition of the adhesive film,wherein this film and the non-stick sheet have apertures traversingboth; and wherein these apertures are filled with solder material, andthe non-stick sheet is then removed to obtain the metal projections,which exit from the respective apertures of the adhesive film.
 30. Theproduction process according to claim 26, wherein the metal projectionsare preformed and placed on the side of the rear face of the insulatingsupport by an automatic installation.
 31. The production processaccording to claim 23, wherein the solder material forming the metalprojections is applied in paste form and is then hardened beforeplacement of the external connector in the cavity.
 32. The productionprocess according to claim 24, wherein the solder material forming themetal projections is applied in paste form and is then hardened beforeplacement of the external connector in the cavity.
 33. The productionprocess according to claim 21, wherein the initial dimensions providedfor the metal projections are such that, subsequent to the placement ofthe external connector in the cavity, these projections for the mostpart fill the respective individual cavities.
 34. The production processaccording to claim 21, wherein it is provided to deposit an adhesivefilm on the inside face of the insulating support, wherein this adhesivefilm serves to glue the external connector to the base of the cavity andhas apertures, from which the metal projections exit.
 35. The productionprocess according to claim 21, wherein the supply of energy is achievedin a substantially localised manner in the respective regions of themetal projections through the plurality of external metal contact pads.36. An external connector for the production of an electronic card usingthe process of claim 21, comprising an insulating support that definesan outside face and an inside face opposite one another and a pluralityof external metal contact pads, which are arranged on the outside faceof this insulating support; wherein it additionally comprises aplurality of metal projections located on the side of the inside face ofthe insulating support and respectively connected electrically to atleast one subassembly of the plurality of external metal contact padsand/or to contact pads linked to an electronic unit, which is arrangedon the inside face of the insulating support, wherein these metalprojections are intended to be inserted into individual cavities of thebody of the electronic card, and metal contact pads linked to anelectronic unit inside the card body and/or an antenna incorporated inthis card body are located at the bottom of the cavities; and whereinthese metal projections are configured to be capable of being inserted,during placement of this external connector, into a cavity of the cardbody, in the individual cavities located at the base of this cavity inorder to fill them at least for the most part.
 37. The externalconnector according to claim 36, wherein a plurality of intermediatecontact pads are arranged on the inside face of the external connectorand respectively connected to the at least one subassembly of theplurality of external metal contact pads and/or to the contact padslinked to the electronic unit, wherein these intermediate contact padsare respectively located under the metal projections, and wherein thesemetal projections are formed by a solder material.
 38. The externalconnector according to claim 36, wherein the insulating support has aplurality of apertures between its outside face and its inside face,wherein the apertures of this plurality of apertures are respectivelyclosed by the external pads of the at least one subassembly of theplurality of external metal contact pads on the side of the outside faceof the insulating support, and wherein the apertures are at leastpartially filled by respective metal parts, which are respectivelyextended or surmounted by metal projections of the plurality of metalprojections.
 39. The external connector according to claim 38, whereinthe apertures have a cross-section, in which at least one dimension islarger than 0.5 mm.
 40. The external connector according to claim 38,wherein the metal parts and the corresponding metal projections aresubstantially formed from solder material.
 41. The external connectoraccording to claim 36, wherein it comprises an adhesive film on theinside face of the insulating support, wherein this adhesive film hasapertures, from which the metal projections exit.